Chapter 7

Levi POV

Louis has been in Lotus's bedroom all day. He refuses to leave her side. While I am smitten with her as well, there are other matters that need to be attended to. She has survived this long on her own; I am sure she doesn't need us breathing down her neck every second of the day.

Lennox is less frustrated than I am. He has been humming cheerfully at his desk all morning. If I didn't know any better, I would have assumed that he fucked her. A groan leaves my lips as I think about her standing in the shower. Her vanilla scent swirled around the room and made my dick hard. I have never wanted anything more than I want that little flower, and it bothers me.

I shake the thoughts from my mind. That isn't why she is here. We brought her back to the Winter pack to protect her. Not to put her on her back to spit out children. Still, there is something different about her, and I can't put my finger on what it is. She is supposedly a human, but I don't think she is.

"I know what you are thinking," Lennox interrupts my thoughts.

I don't bother looking up from the paperwork in front of me. "I don't know what you are talking about. I am doing the work that Louis is supposed to be doing."

Lennox leans back, propping his feet up on his desk. He pulls a knife from his pocket and runs it beneath his fingernails. "I don't think she is human either."

Grumbling in frustration, I look up at my brother. He doesn't seem to be as concerned about these revelations as I am, but I decide to humor him. "What do you think she is?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "One of us."

I snort with laughter. "If she were a lycan, we would know it."

The door to our office flies open, and Louis strides in like a hero returning from war. The smile on his face makes his dark eyes sparkle, and I know he is doomed. He has fallen for our little Lotus.

"Where the fuck have you been?" I snarl at him.

His eyes narrow in my direction. "I have been with Lotus. We agreed that we wouldn't leave her alone."

I cross my arms over my chest. "Then who is with her right now?"

He steps aside, and she peeks around him. Her brown eyes are wide as she takes in the room around us. She is bouncing from foot to foot, and if I didn't know better, I would assume she is excited. My eyes dart between her and Louis.

"What the fuck is she doing here?"

The growl in my voice causes her to tremble, and she ducks behind Louis, hiding her face in his shirt. A small amount of guilt rises in my throat, but I try not to let it bother me. She shouldn't be here, and Louis knows that. Only the three of us are allowed in this office. It has always been that way.

"I have work to do and she isn't to be left alone," he growls in return.

I pick up the paperwork that has flooded my desk. "You mean this work?"

Lennox takes a softer approach. "Louis, we have it covered. Just take her on a tour of the grounds."

"No," I shout over him. "How stupid could you be, bringing her in here? For all we know, she was planted in the city by one of the other packs."

My words are lies, and I know it, but something about this so-called human makes me uncomfortable.

"Enough," Lennox snarls. "You are being mean for no reason."

I turn slowly in Lennox's direction. "Are you seriously taking his side? You never take his side."

"I do when you are being an asshole."

"Wow," I draw out the word. "I am the one being the asshole when Louis is bringing a stranger into our sanctum."

A soft sob escapes from Lotus's lips, and she runs from the office. I expect Louis to chase after her, but he doesn't. "All this time, I thought Lennox was the biggest asshole out of the three of us, but it turns out it was you. Congratulations on tricking me for the last twenty-eight years."

Pushing away from my desk, I leap to my feet and pin him against the wall. "You are such a dramatic piece of shit."

Lennox grabs my shoulders and pulls me away. He stands between us and runs his fingers through his hair. "Go after her."

Louis tries to run out of the door, but I pull him back. "Do you fucking work. I will retrieve our ward."

Louis tries to stop me, but Lennox holds him back. While I can usually keep my temper in check, Louis is pushing all of my buttons today, and I need to get away from him. A cold breeze hits my face, and the window at the end of the hall is open.

"Fuck!" I scream.

I rush down the hall and peer out of the window. The snow is swirling heavily in the air, so I can't see the ground below. Squinting through the flurries, I lean out of the window and try to see if she is lying at the bottom.

What was she thinking? We are three stories high. A fall from this height would kill her. For a single moment, the snow stops falling, giving me a clear view. That is when I see her, clinging to the side of the palace. Her blonde hair is whipping around her, and I can see her fingers slipping.

A growl rips from my lips, and she looks up. Her brown eyes are sparkling with tears, and a scream rips from her lips. Her fingers break free from the bricks, and I see her falling. Without a second thought, I leap from the window, shifting into my lycan on the way down.